SYSTEMS OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

THREE EXECUTIVE SYSTEMS

Every municipal council has executive powers and duties. Executive systems of government describe the structures through which the municipal council exercises its executive powers and performs its executive duties. The Municipal Structures Act provides for three different executive systems of government. Every municipal council must have one of the three systems of executive government.

TWO PARTICIPATORY SYSTEMS

In addition to the three executive systems described above, the Municipal Structures Act also provides for two participatory systems of municipal government - the ward participatory system and the subcouncil participatory system.

COMBINING THE SYSTEMS TO FORM MUNICIPAL TYPES

Executive systems and participatory systems can be combined to form types of municipality - the subject of this document. The way in which these systems can be combined, and how the combinations can be applied to individual municipalities, are described in Combining the systems of government to form municipal types and Applying types to individual municipalities.

NEW TERMS TO DESCRIBE ROLES AND STRUCTURES

Before we look in detail at the different systems of municipal government, it will be helpful to look at some of the new terms used in the Municipal Structures Act to describe:

• The roles played by specific councillors in executive systems of government.
• The structures through which executive authority is exercised in the different executive systems of government.

The box below provides a summary of how this terminology is used.

The roles of specific councillors and structures in each system are explained in more detail in the following sections, beginning with the plenary executive system.

Introduction | Responsibilities of municipal councils | Delegation of powers and duties | Community participation and accountability | Municipal types | Systems of municipal government | Plenary executive system | Collective executive system | Mayoral executive system | Executive powers, duties and committees | The ward participatory system | The subcouncil participatory system | Combining the systems of government to form municipal types | Applying types to individual municipalities | Conclusion | Annexure A | Annexure B

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